We're all about helping to boost your wellbeing with small steps which can help make a BIG difference. So if you're looking for some quick wins to help you manage stress, you're in the right place. Here, Psychological Coach and Podcast Host Lucy Spicer talks all about the technique of grounding and how it can help you feel calmer.
What Are Grounding Techniques?
Grounding techniques are a set of exercises you can use when you’re feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed. They work by shifting your attention away from stressful thoughts (which tend to be focussed on the future or the past), back to the present moment.
What Is The Science Behind Them?
Grounding ourselves into the now using our senses and breath can help soothe us by getting us out of the sympathetic nervous system (the system that controls our fight-or-flight response). When this is activated, cortisol – often referred to as the stress hormone – is released into the body, making us feel tense and on edge. Grounding exercises can help to stop this stress response and get us back to feeling balanced.
5 Grounding Techniques To Reduce Stress
Lots of us spend a lot of the day on our phones which can distract us from the here and now and lead to brain overload. Here are five everyday grounding techniques for you to try which all aim to get you out of your head and into the present moment.
1. A Body Scan
A body scan is a simple but powerful grounding technique. To begin, find a quiet place and either lower your gaze or close your eyes. Take a few calming breaths. Starting from your toes, gradually move your attention upwards focusing on one part of your body at a time. As you scan each body part, imagine releasing any stress or tension you are holding onto. Continue moving all the way up through your body until you finally reach your head.
You can deepen this practice even further by using NEOM’s Magnesium Body Butter to massage and connect with each body part as you go.
2. Try Deep Calming Breaths
Deep breathing exercises involve taking slow, considered breaths in through the nose for the count of four and out through the mouth for the count of six. Ground yourself by placing your feet on the floor and imagine channelling your energy downwards into the earth beneath you.
This is a great exercise to do on-the-go to activate your body’s relaxation response. You could also use the NEOM Calming Pen which has a soothing lavender scent.
3. Carrying A Grounding Object
Holding or touching objects with different textures or weights can help bring awareness to the present moment and redirect our attention away from overwhelming thoughts and feelings.
Simply rubbing a smooth stone, a piece of jewellery or squeezing a stress ball can provide sensory stimulation that physically grounds us back into the here and now. Choose an object that is personal for you and use it intentionally to bring you into the present.
4. The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
This technique involves engaging the senses. All you have to do is think of five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.
If it feels difficult to do, this is a good thing, as the cognitive effort of engaging in your senses is only grounding you into the present further. Using the 5-4-3-2-1 method helps shift attention away from stressful thoughts of things that have happened or could happen, back into the present moment.
5. Connect With Water
Taking a warm bath can be a powerful grounding technique to help tap into your senses. Using your favorite NEOM bath product, allow yourself to fully immerse in the sensation of the water and bubbles enveloping your body.
Focus on calming aromas and the warmth and comfort of the water as it washes away any tension and stress. Try paying attention to the feelings of relaxation spreading throughout your body.
For more of Lucy's expert advice, check out her Instagram - @lucyspicer_ or listen to her podcast - The Journal.
The Journal with Lucy Spicer